Pandemic Survivor: Victim to Victor

By Eleanor D George

This is a book about surviving and thriving - despite adversity.  Ms. Eleanor D. George, MSEd, author, educator, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, social advocate and grateful believer, survived COVID-19 twice during 2021. However, the coronavirus pandemic was not the only "pandemic" she survived.

Eleanor survived being orphane

• Language: English
• Publisher: TaylorMade Publishing LLC
• Release date: Feb 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9781953526564

Eleanor D George

Eleanor George is a native New Yorker, who currently resides in the Bronx. She is proud of her West Indian/Black American roots and remains active in her community today. She is the renowned author of From the Heart: Poetry Birthed from the Altar of Life. Ms. George is a thriving believer, a devoted mother of three adult children and a grandmother. She is a retired New York City schoolteacher who owns two businesses, and she is a motivational/public speaker. Additionally, Ms. George is actively involved in the social justice ministry of Bethel Gospel Assembly in Harlem. While raising her twin sons and daughter as a single parent on public assistance, Ms. George furthered her education. She earned a Master of Science in Education, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and an Associate in Applied Science in Paralegal Studies/Lay Advocacy. She is the recipient of numerous awards, scholarships and fellowships as a New York City Teaching Fellow and Hunter College Public Service Scholar. Despite many obstacles, Ms. George propelled forward with drive and tenacity to reach personal heights beyond reason. Jesus Christ remains the center of her life as she lives her mantra from Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me." Ms. George encourages everyone she encounters through her books, motivational speaking and personal contact to become the phenomenal person God created them to be and to live their lives "intentionally on purpose!" Ms. George's life echoes down the echelons of time, "If can do it - so can you! For with God nothing shall be impossible!"

Book preview

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture references are from

Easy Standard Version (ESV)

King James Version (KJV)

Amplified Version (AMP)

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Pandemic Survivor: Victim to Victor

Copyright © February 2023

Eleanor D. George

ISBN# 978-1-953526-45-8

ISBN# 978-1-953526-56-4 (e-book)

All rights reserved under international copyright law. This book or parts of thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means; electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher or author, except as provided by United States of America copyright.

Published by TaylorMade Publishing

Jacksonville, FL

www.TaylorMadePublishingFL.com

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Table of Contents

Forward

Introduction

Pandemic Survivor…Covid-19

Intimacy in a Pandemic

Victory Along the Way – The Process

My Story - The Beginning…

Identity Crisis Pandemic Survivor Lost and Found

Orphaned/Foster/Adopted Child Pandemic Survivor

Incest Pandemic Survivor

Intimate Partner Violence Pandemic Survivor

Single Parenthood Pandemic Survivor

Poverty Pandemic Survivor via Academic Excellence!

Aging Parents Pandemic Survivor

Leanness to Your Soul – Pandemic Survivor

Family Love Victory

Bucket-List Victor

Published Victor

Chronic Pain Pandemic Survivor and Authorship Victor

Small Business Victor

Ownership Victor

In the Middle Victor

Retirement Victor

Domestic Violence Victor

In Conclusion…Self-Reflection

Epilogue

Shore Enough I Made It!

Author’s Note

Appendix

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Forward

In this incredible time in our society in the western culture, where we have been seduced into believing we have the power to reshape our reality into whatever form suits us, it is refreshing to find individuals with the courage to take a hard stare at the core of their inner person, and instead of searching for the quick fix, and the superficial make over, opt to begin the hard work of tearing down for the purpose of building up. This kind of personal renovation requires not only the willingness to initiate such a project, but also the determination to gain understanding as to what, where and how to proceed in this life changing process.

Eleanor George is such a person, who after many wrong turns going off the on ramp, is willing to share her journey in the beautiful lyrical fashion that only a truly gifted individual would dream to attempt. As you move through this work, you will share both pain and healing, and defeat turned to victory. As Eleanor continues her spiritual journey with a keen eye for the prize you will find her transparency is an invitation to the reader to join her in daring to dream for a life of change and conquest. It is a call to look inward with an honest eye, but to do so while acknowledging the presence of God that will insure the success of the enterprise.

Eleanor’s success in sharing with you this writing, is a testimony to all of us that we can do all things through Christ, which strengthen us.

Bishop Carlton T. Brown, DMin, D.D.

Senior Pastor/ Chairman

Bethel Gospel Assembly, Inc.

New York, NY

Introduction

The success and feedback from my first book, From the Heart, Poetry Birthed from the Altar of Life, made me realize my voice could continue to bring hope and healing to a victimized, traumatized and abused world. This second book was written for ordinary people who have felt stuck in a maze of disappointment filled with broken promises, broken-heartedness, poverty, and deferred dreams, and those who have felt lost and trapped in a pit of depression and inability.

I wrote this book to tell everyone it is not too late to pursue and realize your destiny; however, it will not be fully realized without the grace, love, intervention and power of God. I am a victor for one reason and one reason only, Jesus loved me, and his love always showed up. God was with me with each breath I took. God was with me in the darkest hours of my life. God tenaciously held me and would not let me go. His love and grace pursued me until He captured me in His everlasting arms. His mercy completely and gently quieted the enemy’s shouts of condemnation and insignificance.

I pray that some word in this book will encourage you to see yourself as an overcomer – valuable and deeply loved – despite life’s circumstances, experiences, destructive words from others or your choices. So, if you are reading this book, we have one important, invaluable thing in common – we are pandemic survivors! Think about it. You are alive today. Your past can remain in the pre-COVID world with everything else that is no more. You have been given a unique opportunity for transformation and transition. No one has to remain chained to victimhood or a negative past. You are a survivor! You are victorious! You are triumphant through Jesus Christ!

We can all move forward from a victimhood existence. Whether victimized by persons, places or systems, we are overcomers, conquerors, triumphant and victors through Christ and His love. I have survived a global pandemic to tell my story of hope, transformation and transition. Hopefully, I will inspire others to share and write their significant life’s story as well. We have all survived the pandemic for an important reason. Each of us has purpose, destiny and a future. However, without a personal relationship with Christ you will not be able to realize all that the Creator had in store when He made you.

Pandemic Survivor…Covid-19

Covid-19 was responsible for over 500,000 deaths in America within one year. This was the greatest loss of life ever experienced by Americans. It surpassed the death toll of the first pandemic in 1917 and World War I 1. Our country and world were in a panic and fear which permeated every echelon of society. No one was exempt. Covid-19 was an equal opportunity killer. Scientist tried and researched but for months could not get a handle on this virus and human death continued. The medical community also experienced death rates that have been unprecedented.

The word unprecedented was uttered throughout the pandemic with each statistic. Schools closed, businesses closed, stores, theatre everything in cities and countries around the world were ghost towns as everyone shut in and sheltered in place to preserve life and stop the spread. All of the go-to sources, science, medicine, that usually had answers came up wanting. The greatest minds on the planet were baffled as if Covid-19 was an alien from outer space, like something out of the twilight zone. No one on this planet could stop this virus only partially contain it, or as they said, mitigate the spread at least for the moment. Everybody thought they could possibly die. We feared each other and the virus, like the plague – because it was a plague.

On January 2, 2021, I was diagnosed with that deadly disease. But in the midst of that storm, no - stage 5 hurricane-like storm, I was at peace. In the midst of Covid turmoil, I was at peace. How could I possibly be at peace being diagnosed with Covid 19? Would I end up on a ventilator gasping for each breath? I did not know. All I knew was that I was not alone. I was in the center of God’s heart, my life was in his hands, and I was at peace. Jesus enveloped me with peace.

I went home, walked into my new kitchen, in my new home, only a month old, and declared, God did not bring me into this new home to die! Then, I laughed and laughed and laughed, not in delirium, but in truth, in the stated fact that I knew God had more for me. I knew that as the Bible said over and over and over, And it came to pass. And pass it did, within three weeks all symptoms ceased and desisted. I did not have to go to the hospital. I was not gasping for air on a ventilator. However, I did experience a fever of almost 102 and sometimes I felt a little labor to breathe. Abdominally there were issues, but I made it through - I survived! I was alive, only because of Jesus Christ. The vaccine came after…

So, today, I live to tell the story, but not only me. My son and daughter were both survivors of the deadly Covid-19. Consequently, these scriptures: For in Him we live, and move, and have our being… (Acts 17:28 NKJV) and …And by His stripes, we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5 NKJV) became a reality, even more, in our lives. Sadly, that was not the case for so many others. Continually, my heart and prayers go out to everyone who lost a loved one…to Covid-19 and its variants.

Unfortunately, six months later in November 2021, after being fully vaccinated, I was told by my physician that I had sufficient antibodies and did not need the booster, in December 2021 I tested positive again for Covid-19 with the Omicron variant. My testimony is that the same God who sustained me the first time without life-threatening symptoms or hospitalization repeated His performance! This time I had even less severe symptoms than the first time – just a head cold with a small cough. Praise God – Whooohoo!

While I was quarantined and recovering the first time the notation of pandemics, I survived began to take shape. Consequently, during the second isolation and recovery, I completed the preliminary manuscript for this book! God opened my eyes to a new reality. I realized during these bouts that this pandemic was not the only pandemic that I have survived in my life. I was confronted with the fact that I had survived so many pandemics of tragedy, trauma, abuse and crisis.

Specifically, I survived the pandemics of abandonment, rejection, separation, being an orphan in foster care, adoption, incest, domestic violence, single parenthood, poverty, mental illness, wanting to die to escape misery, pain and substance abuse. Yes, I felt helpless and no one heard my screams because they were inside. But by God’s grace, I survived!

I lived through the tragedies of broken relationships, toxic relationships, cycles and patterns that occurred over and over, but I survived. Consequently, for these pandemics only the vaccine filled with the love, hope and healing in the Blood of Jesus kept me alive. God made me a Pandemic Survivor to share my story so others can survive and eventually thrive – like I have.

Intimacy in a Pandemic

Isolation Victim

Isolation was a huge issue during the COVID-19 pandemic. For people who lived alone and for those who lost loved ones, it was like being on an emotional ventilator – gasping for the breath of fresh air brought into our lives by relationships that were gone. Many were left alone to deal with life, deal with this pandemic, deal with an empty home, apartment or room without the presence of a loved one, without intimacy. So, what happens when you find yourself living alone, not in a relationship with a significant other, hearing only one human voice – yours?

I was alone in my apartment without the comfort of a human presence. I ended a toxic relationship in June 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. That first night, I gave myself permission to grieve the loss with tears and words. I allowed myself